Storm door assembly



March 13, 1962 s. c. MCPHAu. 3,024,501

STORM DOOR ASSEMBLY Filed oct. 9, 1959 e', I /02 /2 e@ .n-Q/ l r Q i /44 5 Ff Erz-4 F 1' E- .l @6

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United States Patent-O 3,024,501 STORM Doon ASSEMBLY shelvey c. McPnaa, 2801 Nw. th st., oklahoma city, Okla. Filed ocr. 9, 1959, ser. No. 845,449 z claims. (ci. zii- 16) Y Y This invention relates generally to improvements in storm door assemblies, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a prefabricated storm door assembly.

As it is well known in the art, most storm doors, and particularly storm doors constructed of extruded aluminum, utilize substantially Z-shaped bars which are secured on the door jamb around an existing door opening to receive the storm door proper and to support the storm door in the existing door opening. As it is also well known in the art, a standard sized door opening, such as a 3-foot by a 6-foot S-inch door opening, will vary slightly from the prescribed standard in its vertical and horizontal dimensions. It has, therefore, been the practice to send a home owner three lengths of the Z- shaped bars, such that the home owner can cut the bars to the necessary lengths and fit them in his existing door opening to support a storm door. It will be apparent that the fitting and cutting of the Z-shaped bars is a time-consuming operation when performed at the job site, and a rather poor job is accomplished by unskilled workmen. Also, when the Z-shaped bars are shipped separately for cutting and fitting in an existing door opening, the horne owner must drill holes and secure the hinges on one of the Z-shaped bars to support the storm door, and then must install a striker plate in the door jamb opposite the hinges to engage the latch of the storm door when the storm door is closed. These striker plates are normally constructed in substantially the same manner as the striker plates for conventional wooden doors and are, therefore, embedded in the door jamb, which requires the home owner to chisel out a portion of the wooden door jamb after the storm door is hung to assure that the latch will be engaged when the door is closed.

The present invention contemplates a storm door assembly wherein the Z-shaped bars are shipped to a home owner in an assembled condition to minimize the cutting and tting required by the home owner. I have found that although standard sized door openings do vary, the openings do not Vary to such an extent to prohibit a preassembling of the Z-shaped bars prior to shipping of a storm door assembly to a home owner. The Z-shaped bars extend over the outer face of the door jamb surrounding a door opening to such an extent that an assembled Z-shaped bar frame may be fitted in any existing door opening which varies a normal amount from the proper standard size, and the Z-shaped bar frame may be shifted as necessary to properly position the storm door.

The present invention also contemplates the installation of a striker plate on the Z-shaped side bar opposite the hinges supporting the storm door prior `to the shipping of the storm door assembly to the home owner, such that the striker plate will automatically be in the proper position when the storm door is installed in an existing door opening, and the home owner will not be required to remove any portion of his door jamb.

An important object of this invention is to minimize the work and time required -for installing a storm door assembly in an existing door opening.

Another object of lthis invention is to automatically center a storm door in the Z-shaped bar frame surrounding the sides and top of the storm door when the assembly is secured in an existing door opening.

A further object of this invention is to automatically ICC position the striker plate of a storm door assembly when the assembly is secured in an existing door opening, such that the striker plate will be in the proper position for receiving the latch of the storm door.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a storm door assembly which is at least partially prefabricated prior to shipping and installation, is simply constructed, and may be economically manufactured.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be evident from the following detailed description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate my invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational View of a storm doo; assembly constructed in accordance with this inventionA FIGURE 2 is a rear elevational view of one of the upper corners of the storm door assembly shown in FIG. 1 to illustrate a typical connection of the top and side Z-shaped bars.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view as taken along lines 3 3 of FIG. l, illustrating the yfitting of the lower end of a storm door in an existing door opening.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view as taken along lines 4 4 of FIG. l, illustrating the assembly of the striker plate on one of the Z-shaped bars.

FIGURE 5 is a rear elevational view of a portion of the storm door assembly, again illustrating the position of the striker plate.

FIGURE 6 is a View similar to FIG. 4, illustrating a modified striker plate construction.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and particularly FIG. l, reference character 10 generally designates a storm door assembly constructed in accordance with this invention and which includes a top Z-shaped bar 12 havingside bars 14 and 16 secured to the opposite ends thereof. The bars y12, 14 and 16 are secured by suitable screws 18 to the wooden door jamb 20 (see FIG. 4) around a door opening 22 in a house or the like. In accordance with the present invention, the Z-shaped bars 12, 14 and 16 are assembled prior to the shipping of the storm door assembly 10 to a home Owner. These Z- shaped bars are interconnected as illustrated in FIG. 2 wherein it will be observed that the upper end of each side Z-shaped bar and each of the ends of thetop bar 12 are mitered at 45 4to provide a close rit. An L- shaped brace 24 is placed around the adjacent ends of the bars 12 and 16 and is then suitably secured to the respective bars by screws 26. An identical connection is made between the bars 12 and 14 to provide a relatively strong and rigid connection of the Z-shaped bars.

. As previously indicated, a standard sized door opening 22 will vary to a slight degree, with the door opening sometimes being slightly smaller than expected, and sometimes being slightly larger than expected. Therefore, the top bar 12 is of a length slightly less than the expectedwidth of the door opening 22 to assure that the top bar may be itted in the upper end of the door opening 22.' The side bars 14 and 16 are formed slightly longer than the expected height of the door opening 22 to assure that the side bars will have suiicient lengths. If necessary, the home owner may simply cut off the lower ends of the side rbars 14 and 16 to iit the entire Z-shaped bar frame in the existing door opening 22.

Each of the Z-shaped bars 12, 14 and 16 has the same cross-sectional construction, as illustrated by the bar 14 in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the bar 14 has an outer ange 28 which extends outwardly with respect to the door opening 22 and overlaps the forward face of the door jamb 20 for connection of the bar to the door jamb 20 by the screws 18. The width of the flange 28 permits appreciable sideways adjustment of the bar 14, while still allowing the' passage of the screws 18 through the flange 28 into the door jamb, to facilitate the fitting of the Z-shaped bar frame in the door opening 22. It may also by noted that the outwardly extending flange 28 of the bar 14 is provided with a series of parallel grooves 29 which provide an attractive appearance for the bar. The grooves 29 in each of the bars 12, 14 and 16 are aligned when the bars are interconnected by the L- shaped braces 24, as previously described, to provide an attractive appearance for the storm door assembly.

The main body portion 30 of the bar 14 extends at right angles to the lange portion 28, and therefore extends parallel with the respective side of the door opening 22 when the assembly 10 is secured in the Opening 22. A rear flange 32 extends inwardly from the main body portion 30 of the bar 14 to form a stop for the storm door 34, as will be described. It may also be noted that a sealing strip 36 is secured in a suitable groove 39 in the inwardly extending rear flange 32 of the bar 14 to be contacted by the inner face of the storm door 34 and provide an effective seal of the storm door in the frame formed by the bars 12, 14 and 16. It will be understood that one of the sealing strips 36 is secured in each of the bars 12, 14 and 16 around the sides and top of the door opening 22.

The storm door 34 may be of any desired construction, but, as shown in FIG. 1, is preferably provided with side rails 38 and 40, a top rail 42 and a bottom rail 44 formed of extruded aluminum having a cross-section as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. It may also be noted in FIG. 1 that the storm door 34 is provided with the usual window section 46, screen section 48 and kick plate section 50 formed in any desired manner, such as illustrated in applicants copending application, entitled Storm Door, filed January 28, 1959, Serial No. 789,588.

The storm door 34 is supported on the Z-shaped side bar 16 by suitable vertically spaced hinges 52, such that the storm door may be swung in and out of the frame provided by the bars 12, 14 and 16 when the door is opened and closed. Also, a sealing strip 54 is preferably secured in a suitable groove 56 formed along the outer edge of each of the rails 38, 40 and 42 of the storm door 34 in positions to contact the respective Z-shaped bars 12, 14 and 16 and cooperate with the sealing strips 36 in providing a double seal around the sides and top of the storm door 34.

Any desired type of latch mechanism 58 is suitably secured in the side rail 38 of the storm door 34, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4, for engaging a striker plate 60 which holds the door 34 in a closed position. In accordance with the present invention, the striker plate 60 is secured directly to the Z-shaped bar 14 by suitable screws or brads 62 is such a position to be automatically in the proper position for engagement by the latch mechanism 58 when the storm door 34 is supported on the Z-shaped bar 16 by the hinges 52. In this connection, it may be noted that the hinges 52 may be either secured on the Z-shaped bar 16 prior to the time the storm door assembly is shipped to the home owner, or the proper holes are drilled in the Z-shaped bar 16 for securing of the hinges 52 when the home owner assembles the storm door in his existing door opening. In either event, the latch mechanism 58 will be at a predetermined position with respect to the side bar 14, such that the striker plate 60 may be secured on the Z-shaped bar 14 prior to shipping the assembly to the home owner.

In a preferred construction, the striker plate 60 is formed separate from the Z-shaped side bar 14 and is secured to the bar 14 by the screws 62 extending through the body portion 30 and the rear flange 32, as previously indicated, although the striker plate could be extruded along with the bar 14 if desired, and as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Also, in the preferred construction, the length of the striker plate 60 is substantially less than the length of the bar 14, as illustrated in FIG. 5, and is only of a length to assure engagement with the latch mechanism 58 when the door is assembled. As shown in FIG. 4, the striker plate 60 has a cross-sectional configuration conforming to the cross-sectional confguration of that portion of the bar 14 opposite the striker plate and is provided with a lip portion 64 which extends inwardly with respect to the flange portion 32 of the bar 14 in rearwardly spaced relation from the flange portion 32 to receive the locking shoulder portion 66 of the latch mechanism 58. When the striker plate conforms in cross-section to the shape of the bar 14 as shown in FIG. 4, the striker plate may be formed of relatively thin metal, such as aluminum, and yet will have sufficient strength to hold up under repeated usage of the latch 58 and will rmly hold the door 34 in a closed position when the locking shoulder of the latch is engaged with the lip portion 64 of the striker plate,

Since the height of the door opening 22 will vary slightly from the expected, the height of the storm door 34 is made slightly less than the standard height of the door opening 22. Therefore, when the storm door 34 is supported on the hinges 52, the upper edge of the door will llt in the proper relation with respect to the top Z-shaped bar 12, but the lower edge of the door will frequently be spaced slightly above the bottom or sill 68 of the door opening 22. To provide a proper fit at the lower end of the door 34, I provide an extender 70, as illustrated in FIG. 3. The extender 70 is in the form of a U-shaped member having a slanting bottom wall 72 and upwardly extending side walls 74, with the side walls 74 being spaced a sufficient distance apart to be placed over the front and rear faces of the bottom rail 44 of the storm door 34. It may also be noted in FIG. l that the extender 70 has a length corresponding to the width of the storm door 34 to span the distance between the lower end portions of the side bars 14 and 16. The side walls 74 of the extender 70 are provided with grooves 76 in the outer faces thereof, and beads or flanges 78 along the inner faces thereof. The beads 78 are provided to cooperate with grooves 80 formed in parallel relation in the front and rear faces of the bottom rail 44 to` facilitate the positioning of the extender 70 parallel with the bottom rail 44 when the extender 70 is being assembled by the home owner. The extender 70 is secured on the bottom rail 44 by suitable screws 82 extending through the upper end portions of the walls 74 of the extender and the side walls of the bottom rail 44. It will be apparent that when the door 34 is hung on the hinges 52, the home owner places the extender 70 over the lower edge of the bottom rail 44 at such a height that the bottom wall 72 of the extender 70 will either contact or be in proximity with the bottom 68 of the existing door opening. The screws 82 are then secured through the walls 74 and the front and rear walls of the bottom rail 44 to secure the extender 70 in the desired position. It may also be noted that a sealing strip 84 is preferably provided in the bottom wall 72 of the extender 70 to contact the bottom 68 of the door opening and complete the sealing of the door 34 when the door is in a closed position.

This invention also contemplates a modified striker plate 86, as illustrated in FIG. 6. The striker plate 86 has a length corresponding to the preferred striker plate construction 60, but is simply L-shaped in cross-section, with one flange 88 of the striker plate being secured to the main body portion 30 of the Z-shaped side bar 14 by suitable screws 90. The other leg or flange 92 of the striker plate 86 is positioned in rearwardly spaced relation with respect to the inwardly extending flange 32 of the side bar 14 and extends inwardly a greater distance than the flange 32 to receive the shoulder portion 66 of the latch mechanism 58. With a striker plate construction as illustrated in FIG. 6, the flange portion 92 of the striker plate may be bent when the door 34 is assembled to accommodate any slight variations in the latch mcchanism 58 and assure that the shoulder portion 66 of the latch mechanism will engage the striker plate. In this regard, it may be noted that the striker plate 36 may also be constructed of aluminum or the like and will have suicient strength to hold the latch mechanism 58 when the door 34 is closed, and yet may be bent, as by use of a small hammer, to accommodate variation in the precise position of the locking shoulder 66.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the present invention provides a novel prefabricated storm door assembly which will require a minimum Iitting and cutting by a home owner in order to install the storm door assembly in an existing door opening. The Z-shaped bars forming the frame of the assembly are interconnected prior to shipping of the assembly to the home owner and the bars will be of such sizes that the assembly may be easily tted, insofar as the width of the door opening is concerned. The only cutting which will be required is with respect to the lower ends of the bars to tit the assembly to the length or height of the existing door opening. It will be noted that the striker plate of the present storm door assembly will automatically be in the proper position when the storm door is hung to overcome the necessity of the home owner separately installing the striker plate in a wooden door jamb. Furthermore, it will be apparent that the storm door of the present assembly may be extended at its lower end, as necessary, to fit variations in the existing door opening, and that the storm door will be eiciently sealed around all of its edges to provide an efficient storm door assembly which will prevent the entrance of cold air into a house and yet provide for easy opening and closing of the storm door. Finally, it will be apparent that the present storm door assembly is simple in construction, will have an attractive appearance, and may be economi cally manufactured.

Changes may be made in the combination and arrangement of parts or elements as heretofore set forth in the specification, and shown in the drawings, it being understood that changes may be made in the embodiments disclosed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A prefabricated storm door assembly for use in an existing door opening, comprising a top bar for fitting along the top of the door opening and having a length slightly less than the expected width of the door opening; a side bar secured to each of the opposite ends of the top bar for tting along the opposite side edges of the door opening `and forming, with the top bar, a threesided frame, each of said side bars having a length slightly greater than the expected height of the door opening, each of said top and side bars having a rst ange along one edge thereof extending outwardly with respect to the door opening to overlap the respective edge of the door opening when the frame is positioned `in the door opening, each of said top and side bars having a second ange along the opposite edge thereof extending inwardly with respect to the door opening when the frame is positioned in the door opening; a plurality of hinges secured -in spaced relation along one of said side bars; `a storm door secured to said hinges and supported thereby with the lower edge of said door in upwardly spaced relation from the lower ends of said side bars, said door being of a size to swing into the frame against said second anges when the storm door is closed; a latch mechanism in the edge of said door opposite said hinges; a flexible striker plate of sheet metal secured to the frame opposite said latch mechanism and extending between the side bar of said frame and the respective edge of the door opening, said striker plate having an inner edge portion extending inwardly and rearwardly from said second flange for engagement with said latch mechanism; a U-shaped door extender of a size to extend over the lower edge of the storm door, said extender having a length equal to the width of the storm door, a sealing strip secured in said extender in a position to Contact the lower edge of the door opening upon assembly of the storm door in the door opening; and fastening means for adjustably securing said extender over the lower edge of the storm door with said sealing strip in contact with the lower edge of the door opening when the storm door is closed whereby said frame and the storm door hinged thereto may be fitted in door openings of various heights.

2. A Prefabricated strom door assembly as claimed in claim l wherein said Storm door further includes a horizontally extending bottom rail forming the lower edge of said storm door, said rail having a plurality of parallel, horizontal grooves therein extending parallel to the bottom edge of said storm door; and wherein said `fastening means comprises a plurality of parallel, horizontal ribs on the inner face of said U-shaped door extender extending parallel to the bottom edge thereof for engagement with said bottom rail grooves; and set screw means for adjusting the distance which said extender extends below the lower edge of said storm door.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,559,764 Goldberg July 10, 1951 2,736,401 Milone Feb. 28, 1956 2,770,334 Rust et al. Nov. 13, 1956 2,790,668 Freidman et al. Apr. 30, 19,57 2,893,775 George July 7, 1959 

